Make an ICON out of me
by SoggyTeabags
Summary: Tino finally gets a shot at his dream job, but doesn't really fit in. His dream is to become an editor, but with his bosses, Arthur and Francis, constantly arguing and making life hell for him, will that be possible? Maybe that strange Swedish set designer can lend a helping hand? Drama ensues, but not just for Tino. Multiple plots and pairings, but mainly SuFin.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one – There's reason behind everything.

Tino seated himself quietly in the seat he had been asked to take while waiting for his name to be called for his interview. Most, if not all, companies or offices had waiting rooms in which to wait, but the exception being Bonnefoy Publications. Tino sat on a large gold bench at the foot of a grand marble staircase leading to the front doors of the Bonnefoy offices. The front desk to the right of him was made of marble and glass. Elegant designs and sculptures were carved into the front of it, giving the place a truly regal feeling. The polished floors gleamed under the light of the large chandelier that adorned the high ceiling, causing the gold lettering reading _'Bonnefoy_' to call out to Tino, inviting him to join the Publications. Just looking at those letters on the floor sent Tinos' stomach in knots.

It had been his dream to work for a magazine since he was a small child and he had been set a school project to create an article for the school paper on school fashion – what's suitable to wear for school and what's not. He didn't care what job he got, he'd be happy with Photographer, Stylist, Designer, Editor, Assistant, anything at all as long as he got to work in the field of magazine production.

After looking around in awe for a little while longer, Tino flashed a smile at the female seated next to him on the bench. Along with the floor, Tinos' braces shone in the light from the chandelier causing her to give him a funny look. Just as Tino was about to introduce himself his name was called and his head whipped around to see a man in a suit holding a clip board now stood a few steps up from the bottom. "Tino Väinämöinen?" he called again. Red eyes scanned the room, looking for the owner of the name he had called.

"Oh, well that's me! Hello sir, I'm Tino. Can I just say I'm delighted to be here today in this beautiful building?" Tino babbled a little excitedly as he approached the white haired male who had read out his name. The other simply gave him a baffled look, eyeing his ensemble. A fuchsia pink patterned sweater vest clung to him over a lilac shirt. A navy blue blazer clashed with a tie to match. Tight fitting white trousers hugged his somewhat chubby legs, and finally, shiny black polished shoes completed his… high fashion outfit.

The male before him took in his appearance for a second, red eyes scanning the mish-mash of colours, before holding the clip board a little higher as if shielding himself.

"Oh… I'm sorry. It appears he have made a mistake." He paused, pretending to flip through the pages of the clip board and sighed, "It looks like all of our available places for internship have been filled. I'm terribly sorry. Good day to you." No quicker than he had arrived, he turned on his heel and began to stride back up the staircase.

"What? But wait! I could at least tell you a little bit about myself!" Tino shouted after him. After receiving no acknowledgement, he began to follow the white haired man up the stairs. He grabbed hold of his arm in an attempt to get him to listen, but this just frustrated him even more.

"How do you expect me to take you for an interview, if there is no job to interview you for?"

"But I just thought… I mean, I did a lot of research! I know a lot about fashion and style and I-"

"Clearly you don't or you wouldn't have showed up looking like you just stepped out of '_Hairspray_'!

The large doors at the top of the staircase slammed shut in Tinos' face, the force of it blowing his hair from his face and leaving him stood in shock. Disheartened, he stepped quickly back down the stairs with all the dignity he could muster. The woman on the bench simply smiled smugly behind his back as he passed. But she wasn't the only one watching him leave. Unbeknownst to Tino, someone else had been watching him for a while since he'd arrived…

* * *

"And he sent me away! Just like that!" Tino sighed as he flopped down in a chair at the kitchen table, snatching a gingerbread cookie from the plate that sat in the centre.

The small apartment in which he lived in was very colourful and quite messy, with red walls here and green walls there with all kinds of paintings and pictures hammered into them, patterned furniture and books scattered everywhere. But it was also very small. It consisted of two bedrooms, a single bathroom and joint kitchen area and living room. He shared with his good friend, Lukas and his younger brother, Emil.

Although they were brothers, Lukas was more of a father figure to Emil, and had taken care of him since he was very young. They had escaped a rather abusive home shortly after their mother died and left their drunken father behind. Tino had offered to help care for Emil as Lukas had become extremely stressed and even dropped out of college to be there for him. Lukas was handsome, tall and slender, and very intelligent seeing as though he had dropped out of college after only a year of studying. He ran various businesses online and owned his own little bookstore just underneath their apartment. He enjoyed painting and drawing mythical creatures, so most of the books he owned contained information or stories about them. A lot of the paintings and furniture that he owned related to his Norwegian heritage, so you could say that his home had that cosy, Scandinavian cottage type of vibe to it.

Tino on the other hand was of Finnish background, so he fit in well in the Scandinavian household. Gingerbread cookies were his speciality, and their home constantly smelt of the sweet treat. He also liked to read. A mix of fashion magazines and fiction.

Lukas glanced over his reading glasses at Tino from across the table where he sat reading a book. His face usually remained expressionless, or that's what it may seem like to people who didn't know him as well as Tino did. He came across as a man of not to many words to most people, but he simply chose to just keep out of other people business and focus on his own friends and family. His eyes displayed a hint of sympathy, so Tino knew he was in the mood to listen to his sob story of being rejected at his life goal. Lukas picked up his coffee mug and took a sip before asking Tino about his unsuccessful interview.

"But you got a letter did you not? Stating that there was a job offer and today's interview would determine whether or not you got the job?"

"Yes exactly!" Tino threw his hands up in exasperation.

"So how come they turned you away without even giving you a chance at an interview?"

"I don't know… he just took one look at me and turned his nose up. I could see the way he looked at me. Maybe I was too pushy? I did ramble a lot when I first greeted him; I really need to stop doing that." Running his hands through his hair Tino exhaled a long sigh and stared at Lukas.

He simply raised an eyebrow in return. "… What are you staring at?"

"You. You're so thin and gorgeous. I bet they'd have snapped you up in a heartbeat! Without an interview too!"

Lukas' cheeks caught a pink tinge at the complement, but he simply brushed it off and returned to his book. "Shut up. You're not bad yourself. I definitely know of someone who thinks that you're perfect."

Tino perked up a little. "What do you mean?"

"Tell him, Em."

Emil came wandering away from the television and he too sat down at the table. Emil had become very close to Tino, and had developed a habit of calling him Auntie Tino, something that used to be an inside joke between Lukas and Tino before it stuck somewhat like a nickname.

"We overheard Marcus on the phone yesterday talking to someone. "He's the one." is what he said to the person on the other end. He totally wants to marry you."

"…What? You think so? I mean… that could mean anything! Do you really think he wants to… marry me?" Tino said a little breathlessly.

Emil grinned a large grin and wiggled his eyebrows at Tino, while Lukas nodded, still not tearing his eyes away from his book.

"He should be here any minute to drop off that video game he said I could borrow, so we'll see won't we?"

"Oh yeah I totally forgot about that! Do I look okey?" Tino walked over to the mirror and began to fix his hair. Lukas chuckled a little to himself.

"You look just fine."

The doorbell rang and startled Tino a little before he ran to get it. He peered through the netting that covered the glass window on the front of their little green door and saw the distinct outline of his boyfriend. He swung the door open and greeted Marcus with a bright smile on his face.

Tino was fashionable is his own… unique way but was quite the opposite from his boyfriend who stood on his doorstep; with one hand in the pocket of his jean jacket, the other swung loosely by his side clutching a video game.

"Hey Tino." came the reply as he stepped through the door, wiping his feet on the mat before entering fully. Lukas had a strict rule that one must wipe his or her feet thoroughly before treading through his house, and anyone who failed to do so was automatically on Lukas' bad list. And ending up on the bad list was something best avoided at all costs.

Tino closed the door and followed Marcus over to the table where he was greeting Emil and handing the video game over. He stood behind Marcus just catching the last part of their conversation.

"So can I really keep it? You don't mind?"

"Yeah sure, I beat it a long time ago, so it's not much use to me now." Marcus said with a grin and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Thanks!" Emil flashed a grin in return before heading to his room to play the new game.

"Hey Tino, can I speak to you for a second in private?"

"Er, yeah sure. That's fine." Tino said with a cheeky smile, thinking - and hoping – that he knew what was coming.

Lukas took this as his que to leave and began to get up from the table only to be interrupted by Marcus.

"It's okay Lukas, we'll take this outside."

Tino followed Marcus outside, glancing over his shoulder at Lukas and receiving a rare grin and a thumbs up from him.

Once outside he gently closed the door behind himself and looked up at Marcus. There was something about the way he was acting today that didn't seem quite right to Tino. Marcus was usually bubbly and lively and it was normally a ritual of his to greet Tino with a kiss and a squeeze of his ass.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tino asked, trying to sounds as casual as he could muster.

There was a long pause after Tino had spoken. The tension was thick in the air, and just as Tino had guessed, something was wrong, but he wasn't expecting what was coming.

"Tino, I… I'm in love with somebody else." Marcus said lowly, not looking Tino in the eye.

Another pause while Tino let what he had just heard sink in. When he opened his mouth to speak again his throat was dry and his voice came out at nearly a whisper.

"How? I mean… I thought we... well who is it?"

Behind them, Lukas had come to the door and was leaning against the door frame, a mug of coffee curled between his fingers. He was watching them with no idea what was being said, or no idea what emotion was being displayed as he could only see the backs of their heads. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he watched them, obviously thinking what was being said was something along the lines of marriage.

"Ivan. Look, Tino I'm sorry. I just-"

"No… You don't have to say anything else."

Tino felt his heart breaking completely in two. On top of what happened this morning, this was all just too much for him. He couldn't even cry.

Marcus sighed before shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Good luck, Tino. With everything."

He leant over to kiss Tinos' cheek, but Tino kept his gaze to the ground and moved his head away slightly to keep Marcus from reaching him. Nothing more was said, and when Tino looked up again, Marcus was gone.

* * *

Francis leaned back in his chair with his head back, his eyes closed and a look of pure bliss on his face. He was startled when the door opened and someone joined him in the room.

"So how do you like your new office?" The man who had joined him was none other than Ludwig, the previous company owner. He's sold his business to the Bonnefoy family in order to take some vacation time before setting up a new business deal back in Germany.

"Oh god, you scared me… Ohh~ I, uhh… It's great! Yeah.. really great." He swallowed.

"Could… could you give me a few minutes? There's something I need to wrap up before, y'know, before I leave tonight?" Francis said whilst fidgeting a little in his chair.

Ludwig gave him a curt node before turning on his heel to leave. But almost straight away after turning around he stopped in his tracks when his gaze fell upon something. He picked up a pair of laced underwear between two fingers which were dangling from one of the decorative vases.

"An interesting way of decorating… Mr Bonnefoy." He gave Francis a suspicious look and raised an eyebrow, causing Francis to fidget even more.

"He knows' you're down there." He hissed through his teeth. There was some shuffling and a zipper being closed before a woman stood up from underneath his desk. She wiped her mouth a little on the back of her hand and handed Francis a pen as though she had been searching for it on the floor, hence why she was under the desk.

Francis cleared his throat before speaking,

"I'd like you to meet my new assistant… Amelia this is-"

Before he could continue he was interrupted.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your… dictation, but this is not the way you run a magazine." Ludwig said with a glare.

* * *

"Are you feeling any better?" Emil flopped down on the couch next to Tino, who was curled up stuffing his face with a packet of biscuits.

"Yeah." He mumbled with his mouth full, "'m, fine."

Emil patted his shoulder and stood up again to answer the phone which began to ring.

"Hello?" he said whilst winding the cord casually around his finger. After a few moments he turned around to Tino and held his hand over the reciver.

"It's some guy from Bonnefoy Publications." He said with a slight roll of his eyes and a confused look on his face.

"What? Bonnefoy?" Tino gasped almost choking on his mouthful of biscuit. He quickly swallowed before taking the phone from Emil.

"Yes this is Tino Väinämöinen speaking."

Emil leaned against the wall, still looking rather confused as Tino spoke, getting more and more excited by every second that passed.

"Are you serious? Um, yeah! Yeah I, uh- of course I can start tomorrow! A problem with one of the- okey, okey. What magazine is this for? Icon?" He shot a look at Emil as he said this, whose eyes widened before he took off in search of something. "Okey, yeah that's fine. I'll be there first thing in the morning. Okey, thank you, Goodbye!"

Tino breathed out and slammed his hands down on the side table just as Emil was returning with a magazine in his hands.

"Assistant to the Editor in chief! There was a problem with the assistant they hired so I just… I can't believe this!"

Emil handed the magazine to Tino, who began frantically flipping through the glossy pages, lilac eyes scanning everywhere. ICON was a very successful magazine, and covered a wide range of topics, from things such as fashion shows and celebrities to real life stories, reviews and even horoscopes.

"You didn't tell me you wanted to work for ICON!" Emil clapped his hands a little and looked over Tino shoulder.

"Well, this wasn't my first choice… But if I do well here I can go anywhere in the company!"

Emil grinned a huge grin and swung his arms around Tinos' neck.

"Oh but one thing. This time… try and dress fashionably? And I mean from their point of view, not yours."

Tino simply stared at Emil, slightly insulted, but with the mood he was now in, that glare didn't last for over a few seconds before it was replaced by one of the biggest grins he was capable of.

* * *

**Well hello there! Alright so I've abandoned '****_Hetalia Big Brother_****' for a while. I had loads of really good ideas but when I got them down they just seemed so... well, crappy. So perhaps I'll come back to that one after I finish this. I honestly have no idea how long this will be. **

**Alrighty then so Francis is in with the action already, and it's just the first chapter! *winkwonk***

**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I know certain characters may seem a little OOC, but that's how I like to write them. Emil is my favourite character to write as, so I'll probably create my own personality for him in this.**

**Oh and Marcus is just some random guy I made up to get the ball rolling. I thought of him as maybe being the Åland Islands? But I'm not going to take him any further as a character, so there's not much point in setting up a big background and stuff for him.**

**Thank you for reading! I appreciate it! Reviews are welcome! c:**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Two halves don't always make a whole.

Tino took in a deep breath through his nose before straightening up, clutching the strap across his chest from his brown leather satchel; the trusty, slightly worn one that he used every day without fail, and making his way towards the elevator leading to the 35th floor. Once in the elevator he quickly peered at himself in the mirror. Today he wore a black and white check shirt with the sleeves rolled up half way, a black satin waistcoat and black trousers. His shoes were slightly pointed and shiny white and a black beret sat atop his mass of fluffy, almost white hair. Perhaps it was a little too much for the eye to take in at once, but it suited Tino in an odd way. He was up to date with some of the latest fashions, despite his young age of twenty-three, but always found a way to mix one style with another to create his own, sort of crazy signature style. He was very short in height so sometimes he didn't even pass for his real age - and still having braces didn't help either, and so he was taken for someone much younger and wasn't always taken seriously.

With this in mind he began to run through in his mind what he would say to his new boss. Should he go straight in for a hand shake, or introduce himself first and wait for his boss to offer his hand? He wanted to give a good first impression unlike the day before and the fiasco at his interview. Before he got chance to make a decision the doors of the elevator glided open and Tinos' eyes widened at the sight before him. How could something so… so modern fit into a building with architecture so regal and old?

He swallowed nervously and stepped out of the elevator. The front desk was directly infront of where he stood, so he approached it. Strangely, no-one seemed to be behind the desk. Tino stood on his tip toes and craned his neck in order to peer around the office.

"Um, Hello?"

Just seconds later a woman stood up quickly, almost as if she popped up out of thin air, and startled Tino. She breathed out sharply causing her fringe to blow upwards. Long, chocolate coloured hair was tied into pigtails and held by two red ribbons. Her large brown eyes blinked a few times before she regained her composure and sat down in her chair.

"I'm sorry about that," She paused to smooth out her hair a little before continuing, "Welcome to ICON. How may I help you?" a small smile sprung up onto her lips as she looked Tino in the eye.

"Um, I'm here to start my new job. I'm Tino Väinämöinen, assistant to the Editor in Chief I believe."

"Ah! Yes, they said you'd be starting today. Come with me and I'll show you to your office." She came out from behind the desk and walked around the circular pod which seemed to be the main reception area, as all else Tino could see were various glass offices and studios. The place truly was amazing. Pictures of models and mannequins with designs on littered the walls and hallways, and on one particular large wall just to the left of the elevator was the front cover of every issue of ICON from the very first, right up until the current one, all surrounded by a black frame hung in rows of eight.

"Follow me. Francis should be in the conference room right now, so I'll take you there. I'm Michelle by the way." She said with a smile.

Tino followed just a few steps behind her, observing everything that they passed, trying to remember the way. The clicking of the small heels on Michelle's shoes and the somewhat heavy thumping of Tinos' steps echoed as they walked down a tunnel-like corridor. Tino wasn't the lightest of people, but by no means the heaviest. He was a little overweight but the extra pounds accumulated mainly around his thighs and bottom rather than his stomach, giving him a rather feminine appearance from behind. He was never really bothered by his weight and wasn't self-conscious at all, so he didn't mind wearing clothing such as skinny jeans, but compared to Michelle and her dainty steps he became aware of how loudly he walked. Thankfully, Michelle broke the silence.

"So where did you come from?" she asked as they turned a corner.

Tinos' concentration on trying to lighten his steps disappeared when he replied.

"Oh, well I originally come from Finland but I moved here because-"

"No, I mean what job did you have before this one?"

They stopped before a set of glass double doors. Inside Tino could see several people seated around a circular table and at the head of it, a man with long, blonde hair tied back in a ponytail stood. He was dressed in a deep red suit and stood with magnificent posture. That had to be Francis.

Tearing his eyes away he replied to Michelle's question, now feeling slightly embarrassed and nervous.

"Well, apart from helping out in my friends' bookstore and a few internships at college… this is my first real job." He said with a small smile.

The kind and caring look which Michelle had when leading Tino to where he was supposed to be suddenly vanished upon hearing this.

"That's funny. When I applied for your position they said I wasn't experienced enough." And with that, she turned on her heels and stalked away back the way they had come. A wave of mixed emotions suddenly washed over Tino, guilt being one of them after seeing the look on Michelle's face, before he decided he should greet his new boss before worrying about anything else and getting him flustered. Nothing was going to ruin his chances of a good first impression.

He took another deep breath through his nose and strode forward... only to run straight into a glass wall.

* * *

"Emil!" Lukas called to his brother from the kitchen where he'd just finished preparing breakfast. It was a routine of his to wake each morning at exactly 7:00, sometimes even during the weekend. Emil on the other hand chose to not wake up at all, relying on his brother to get him up for school. He was currently in his last year of school at sixteen years old and couldn't wait to leave that wretched place.

"Emil! Are you up yet!?" Lukas shouted for the second time upon having no response the first time. The time was now 08:22 and Lukas was already dressed and had finished preparing breakfast over ten minutes ago. He sat himself down at the table, took a slice of toast from the rack and began to cover it in Jam. Today his routine for the day was to drive Emil to school, drop some books off at the library, go food shopping, check his items on eBay and if he'd sold any make sure to package them to be sent the following day. The rest of the day could then be spent how he pleased until it was time to pick Emil up, prepare dinner and then possibly help Emil with homework if Tino wasn't already doing so.

Glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall which now read 08:34, Lukas rolled his eyes and stood up from the table. He walked swiftly down the corridor and into Emil's bedroom. Emil was completely hidden in a tangle of blankets, sheets and pillows. Lukas was now frustrated. Emil's breakfast would probably be cold by now and he should be leaving for school in less than fifteen minutes. The High school began at 09:00 and it took Lukas approximately ten minutes to drive there. It would take the average person possibly just over five minutes, but Lukas was a cautious driver.

"Mmhmm, Lukas what're you doing?! It's cold!" Emil whined still half asleep whilst retracting into a small ball in the middle of the bed, much like a scared hedgehog, when Lukas stripped the bed of all blankets suddenly exposing Emil's skin to the chilliness of their apartment first thing in the morning.

"If you actually wore night-clothes to bed, you might not be as cold. Now get up before I send you to school in your underpants." Lukas stated simply before dropping the blankets on the floor and leaving the room, just as quickly as he'd come in.

"They're boxers! I don't wear '_underpants_'!"

* * *

Tino found several pairs of eyes suddenly staring at him as he stood with his hand over his nose. It throbbed badly from where he'd collided with the glass, and he could only hope that it wouldn't bruise or start to bleed. '_So much for a good first impression.' _he scolded himself as he gently pushed open the door he'd run into and sidled along the inside of the wall. He came to a stop next to a group of people who were stood at the back of the conference room. Francis quickly caught Tinos' eye before clearing his throat and continuing to speak before he was interrupted by his new assistants… graceful entrance.

"So. As I was saying. I'd like to thank you all for joining me on such late notice this morning, but I thought that we'd run through this month's agenda for the photo spread featuring Natalia Arlovskaya. We all know she's a hard model to work with but we should feel honoured that she's offered to appear in this spread."

The majority of people in the room began to take notes as Francis spoke, including Tino. He'd never heard of Natalia before, so it'd be a good idea to perhaps research her later in order to impress Francis with his knowledge. Francis continued to speak and Tino took more notes when suddenly they were yet again interrupted.

"Oh, so you started without me. How very kind of you, Francis."

Tino looked up from his notepad to see a man stood in the doorway. His face was utterly striking, yet somewhat unusual looking. Piercing green eyes scanned the room quickly whilst thick and insanely large eyebrows furrowed above them. Untamed locks of blonde hair framed his face. A beige tweed suit adorned him and he adjusted his tie slightly as he stepped into the room. He was very aristocratic and seemed to look down his nose at the entirety of the room, including Francis. Tino was a very observant person and took all of this in in a matter of seconds. The company shared the position of editor in chief between two people, if Francis was the first, this must be the second.

"Well you were late. Sometimes you'll have to skip your morning cup of tea if you wish to be on time for meetings, Arthur." Francis sniggered a little and shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the latest addition to the room whilst turning back to face the rest of the company. He was about to continue speaking when Arthur cut across him, now standing at the opposite end of the table.

"So now that I'm here we can discuss the shoot with Natalia Arlovskaya. Elizabeta, I need you to be in charge of the photo development. Please make sure that all of the photos we are using go into the correct folder to be printed into the spread, and the photos that are being discarded get, well… discarded. Vash is to be the photographer. The style of his photographs will be perfect for this shoot, don't you agree?"

"Yes, I agree 100% Mr Kirkland! Do you want me to go and find him so we can get set up for her arrival tomorrow?" Tino could only guess that the pretty woman who answered to Arthur was Elizabeta. Her accent was strong, most definitely European, but Tino couldn't quite place it. German? Possibly Hungarian or Bulgarian? She seemed happy to oblige to Arthur's instructions and left the conference room quickly and quietly, clipboard in hand.

"I assume that everyone else knows their positions? Could I please ask that if you have no part in the spread and are seated in here, please return to your work. The meeting is over for you."

"Arthur, I understand that you own half of this company, but let me stress the word HALF to you." Francis stopped Arthur in his tracks, making it clear to raise his voice slightly upon the word '_half_'.

"Yes but Francis dear, I understand you own '_half_' of the company," Arthur mimicked Francis by too exaggerating his word, "only one of us out of the pair seems to know how to run a successful magazine. And that's me."

* * *

**Still no Swedish hottie, but he will arrive next chapter, I promise!**

**Thank you for reading. c:**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Did I really just do that?

The place was like a maze. Offices, studios and more offices as far as the eye could see. It's not that they all looked the same, because they didn't, it was simply because of the way they were set out. Tino had tried his best to remember the way he had come earlier with Michelle, but he just couldn't remember and so he was stood in the middle of the corridor looking around for someone to ask for help, having not luck at all; after the meeting everyone had left in a hurry to get back to their work leaving Tino a little bewildered.

He heard noises coming from further down the corridor to the left of him. Perhaps someone was down there who knew the place better than he did. What harm could be done in asking for help? It was his first day after all, so they couldn't expect him to know everything already, right? Clutching his binder closer to his chest he set off down the corridor. Said binder was given to him by Francis as the end of the meeting that morning and was to be used for organising Francis' schedule and other important documents that Francis would need. He was instructed to keep it safe and within reach at all times. It felt good holding such an important folder. Tino was finally being taken seriously and was obviously trusted with confidential things, even despite his little event with the glass earlier on.

The sounds got louder as he continued to walk down the corridor and finally Tino stopped outside of a room emitting sounds that sounded very much like… drilling? He knocked on the door but when it didn't open he cracked it open and stuck his head in.

"Hello? Excuse me but I… erm, I wondered if you could help me?" he called into the room. The drilling stopped but no-one answered him. Exhaling sharply Tino entered the room fully, closing the door behind him. Once inside he noticed that the room looked rather like a workshop, with large boards and piles of wood leaning against the wall in a neat pile. Over in another corner was a clutter of what looked like props from old fashion shoots. One in particular caught Tino's eye and he ran over to get a closer look.

"Oh wow, the 2010 Fashion Week backdrop. No way…" he breathed out in awe and ran his fingers across intricate carvings in a thick piece of oak. It was created to resemble and old fashioned puppet theatre, and when used in the show, lights were shone through the back of it; giving the illusion that the models on the catwalk were puppets in the theatre. Tino wasn't really a fan of catwalk shows in general, he wasn't into _that_ kind of fashion, but he loved this one in particular because of the concept. He had grown up around wooden toys and games, and the show had a magical, childish feel to it, and it was beautifully made too. What a waste for such an amazing piece of work to be stood collecting dust after only being used once.

Tino set down his binder and shifted several smaller boards and props out of the way, struggling a little with the heavier ones, so that he could get a closer look and the particular one that had caught his attention.

"What're ya doin'?"

Tino spun around quickly, several props clattering to the floor as he knocked them over when he jumped at the voice. He was about to pick them up, but his gaze met a pair of piercing blue eyes hidden behind wire frames, and all he could bring himself to do was stand amongst the pile of fallen objects like a deer caught in headlights. Usually Tino was very observant, as you may have noticed by now, and liked to get a good mental image of a person upon meeting them for the first time, and hey, why not? If he was planning to become an editor, he would need to be good at observing and picking out small details, so why not get into the habit of doing so? But right now he simply couldn't tear his gaze away from the eyes that bored into his.

"I…I was j-just admiring this." Tino stammered, patting the oak behind him.

Those blue eyes searched Tino's for a few seconds before they broke his gaze and looked at the object behind the little Fin.

"Ya like 't? It's th' old puppet th'tre fro-"

"2010. I know." Tino interrupted with a shy smile. The scary man's face softened ever so slightly.

"'ow did ya know?"

"I-I remember it from the fashion show. I loved it so much. I'm not really a fan of fashion shows... but this… is really beautifully made, don't you think so?"

A small grunt came as a reply followed by silence. Tino now took the silence as an opportunity to begin to observe the other in the room. Looking past the menacing stare, Tino noticed that his eyes weren't all that cold, and long, blonde eyelashes curled above them. His hair was cropped and slightly spiked, and sideburns framed the side of his face. He wore dark blue overalls over a crisp white shirt, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hands dangled by his side and were large and calloused, covered in cuts, scratches and plasters. Then, upon observing those hands, it finally clicked and Tino's eyes widened.

"Did… did you make this?" he turned to face the wooden masterpiece behind him before turning back to face Mr. Scary; looking him directly in the eyes for the first time. "Did you make all of these?"

"Yah."

"Wow. I mean, that's just incredible! You have talent, Mr… uhm.." Tino trailed off upon remembering that he didn't know this man's name.

"Oxenstierna. Bu' ya can call m' Berwald."

"Berwald, I got it. I'm Tino. Tino Väinämöinen, assistant to the editor in chief!" Tino announced, then cringed in spite of himself. It did feel good though, introducing himself as something that sounded so important.

"An' yer lost, aren't ya." Berwald deadpanned, causing Tino to remember exactly why he was here. Should he admit it that he was indeed lost and ask to be shown the way? But Berwald was a little… well, just plain intimidating. What if he didn't really show him the way and lead him to some dark room and locked him away?

Berwald sensed Tino's hesitation and knew instantly what he must be thinking. He tried to ask casually why this youngster (he assumed he was young because of his braces, height and crazy clothes) had entered his workshop without sounding too blunt and scary, but obviously it hadn't worked and he'd ended up causing the little one to fear and distrust him.

"People d'n't c'me in here unless th'y're lost. C'me. Ah'll show ya."

Tino instantly felt bad about judging this guy and assuming he was some kind of psycho. It wasn't his fault that he was so tall and muscular, well maybe the muscular part, but that wasn't a bad thing in the long run! And of course he couldn't control the depth of his voice either. It was also quite obvious that English wasn't his first language either. It must get pretty lonely too, especially if no-one ever paid him a visit unless they had to, like he said. He glanced at the mess he'd created, but Berwald was already out of the door before he could even think about stopping to pick them up.

"Hey, Berwald! Wait up a sec!" Tino called after him, making sure to close the workshop door after him like he'd found it – it would be rude to leave it open – and hurried down the corridor to catch up to his guide.

He walked close beside him and smiled up at him, hoping that he was coming across as friendly instead of creepy. He really did feel bad about thinking Berwald was a bad person without knowing him properly first, but as they continued down the corridor it looked as though Tino wasn't the only one who thought that way. People seemed to part as Berwald walked past, their heads down but their gaze firmly on the blonde giant as he passed. He kept his gaze forward, not once looking in any other direction, not even down at Tino, who's head only just reached his shoulders, if that. After walking in an awkward silence for a few minutes, Berwald came to a halt beside a small glass desk with one of those fun spinny chairs situated in a room just outside the main offices along with a few other desks. The walls of this room were also made from glass, like most of the offices, and Tino could see everything that was happening on the entire floor almost. It was wonderful! On the desk sat a slim, expensive looking computer, a phone, a printer and a little vase with a single white lily in it. Best of all, it was right next to a large window with light flooding in.

"Oh, Berwald. Thank you so much! I owe you. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found you. Still walking around like a lost puppy I guess! You really seem to know the place; you even knew where the assistants desk was!" Tino grinned up at Berwald who actually looked down at him now and gave him a curt nod. Before he could turn to leave, Tino acted quickly and stuck his hand out towards Berwald. Berwald took the delicate hand in his and shook it firmly.

"Yer welc'me. Good l'ck with yer new job."

* * *

Francis pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily. He and Arthur had been called to Ludwig's office shortly after that morning's disastrous meeting, leaving his new assistant stood helpless in the hallway, but nothing could be done about that, the little guy would have to be tough to handle working in this business.

"Let me get this straight. You hired that… that _child_ as my assistant so that I wouldn't be tempted to flirt?"

"Francis if it was _just_ flirting and nothing else then I'd have no problem with you having a female assistant. But what you were caught doing was unacceptable and now you must face the consequences!" Ludwig had risen from his seat behind his desk and was now stood with his palms flat against the table. Francis, who was smugly back-chatting only moments ago, had now backed up a few steps and blinked in surprise at how quickly Ludwig's temper had escalated.

"Not that I don't admire your efforts, Ludwig, but I just can't imagine Francis acting any different around his assistant be it male or female." Arthur piped up from where he was standing next to Ludwig's desk. Outraged by his comment, Francis turned to face Arthur and looked just about ready to murder him.

"Arthur, I put Francis is charge of this company for a reason. I'm not particularly impressed with either of you. Following up from your performance this morning I have been having serious thoughts about your position of co-editor in chief. All of the money that you've been pumping into the company hasn't really gone to benefit anyone in this company but yourself and Matthew, and sometimes you're just not worth the hassle. So I'd keep your thoughts to yourself if I were you." Arthur had been getting redder and redder in the face as Ludwig continued, from embarrassment or anger it was hard to tell, and by the scowl on his face it wasn't hard to tell that he wasn't used to being scolded. The Kirkland family had always been rather well off, and Arthur was far too used to getting his own way. Francis on the other hand found Arthurs lecture to be highly amusing, and a huge smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You two will have to work out your differences and stop all of these petty arguments for the sake of the company and your careers! Do I make myself clear? Don't make me regret handing this company over to you, Francis…"

"Yes, Sir." Francis and Arthur exchanged quick glances before replying in unison.

"Now get out."

* * *

It had just passed noon and Lukas was now on his way to the Library. Although he owned a bookstore, he liked to take trips to the public library. He used it as an excuse to see what types of books were popular at the moment as well as to read books that he didn't have at home or in the store. Hopefully the books that he found to be popular could help him bring in customers if he knew what they were interested in. He hadn't eaten lunch yet, so Lukas staggered into a small bar on the way to the Library, a stack of books balancing between his arms and chin.

This bar had been a favourite of his for a while, as during the day it served sandwiches, soft drinks, tea and coffee as opposed to past eight o'clock when it began serving beers, wines and spirits. He had been a couple of times after dark for drinks with Tino, but more often than not he preferred to come during the day and enjoy a sandwich or two. He chose his usual seat by the window, sitting down in one of the booths and placing his books at the end of the table, furthest away from where he sat.

He didn't need to look at the menu, as he already knew what he was having, and the waiter knew by now too. But instead of the usual member of staff that tended to his needs, he was approached by a rather tall and muscular looking young man. He wore a smug grin on his face as he approached Lukas at his table, fumbling in the front pocket of his little black apron for his order pad as he did so.

"Good afternoon, thank you for stopping by today. My name is Mathias and I'll be taking care of you. Do you know what you'd like to order, or shall I give you some more time?"

Lukas blinked up at Mathias, taking in his long winded and obviously rehearsed introduction before speaking out.

"I'd like to order now. I'll take a coffee, black, no sugar and a Tuna Toastie."

"Coming right up!"

Only minutes later, Mathias returned with a mug of coffee and a plate holding the Toastie.

"Here we go, one black coffee and a Tuna Toastie." He set them down with a grin.

"Thank you." Lukas didn't look his waiter in the eye, instead he slipped his glasses onto his face and opened a book, expecting Mathias to leave to serve another table. Much to Lukas' surprise though, Mathias did not leave, and instead he took a seat at the booth across the table from him. Looking over his glasses, Lukas stared at his new company and raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Well, there are no other customers besides you at the moment, and you're a regular so I might as well get to know my loyal customers!"

Lukas quickly glanced around and, true to Mathias' word, he found all of the other tables to be empty.

"You have a point, but you're assuming I'm a regular? Why is that?" Lukas snapped his book shut and reached for his coffee.

"Because you didn't even look at the menu before you ordered."

This boy was too smug for Lukas' liking. The way that he just rested his elbows on the table, his chin in his palms, while he was trying to enjoy some food. He couldn't have been older than 20, maybe even younger. At any rate, he was fresh out of college, that wasn't hard to tell, and this job seemed to be his first. He was rather good looking, not that Lukas was attracted to youngsters who were probably almost ten years younger than him, but there was something about that stupid grin on his face that made Lukas relax a little bit and let his guard down.

"Hey, are you gonna keep staring at me, or are you actually gonna eat your food before it gets cold?"

Lukas was brought back to reality when a pair of fingers snapped infront of his face, startling him a little.

"Yes. Sorry, I was in a world of my own." He shook it off and took a bite of his sandwich.

Mathias laughed, but didn't take his own eyes off of Lukas.

"So, what's your name?"

"What's it to you?"

"Well, you know mine, so it's only polite right?"

Lukas scoffed at this and took another bite of his sandwich, pondering whether or not to give out his name to this idiot. Most people would have done so in this situation, as he was only being friendly, but Lukas being Lukas deemed it rude to ask. Mathias giving out his name was part of his job anyway, so it didn't matter that Lukas knew it without giving his out in exchange.

To hell with it, he would probably never meet this kid again, if he kept up his antics of slacking off to chat with the customers like this then he was bound to get fired sooner or later. However, he took too long in replying, and before he could even open his mouth to do so, a napkin was stuffed in his hands and Mathias got up from the table and headed back into the kitchen without so much as a word.

Lukas frowned and unfolded the scrunched up napkin. On it he found a row of eleven letters in scruffy scrawl, making up a phone number. Had that guy seriously just given Lukas his number?

Lukas stared at it for a moment or two, before suddenly stuffing the napkin in his pocket and finishing off his coffee in a quick gulp. He stood, but instead of waiting for his bill, he took out the exact change needed to pay for his meal and placed it on a napkin of his own in the centre of the table, neatly scribbling his own number onto it. Then he quickly grabbed his books and headed for the door before he could regret what he had just done.

* * *

**Weelllll! I finally got round to introducing two very important characters! Took me long enough…**

**Poor Berwald! I'd come and visit you every day, Waldy. Really, I would.**

**In this AU, Lukas is the eldest of the Nordics. He's just turned 29. I'm not sure how that happened, but I told you my characters would probably be a little OOC. I hope this doesn't affect the story in any way.**

**I guess I just preferred him to be the oldest. To be honest, it'll be more fun for me to write him if he's the oldest, especially for a certain Lukas and Mathias moment that I have planned out… ;]**

**Also, I've noticed that I have trouble spotting the page breaks sometimes when I'm reading through to check for typos and spelling errors, so please let me know if they really are hard to see, or if it's just my poor eyesight. ( I don't wear my glasses when I really should! D: ) **

**Thank you for reading guys, and please, review if you have the time! c:**


End file.
